Shadwell Shams: A Tale of Two Forgers

I always used to think that forgeries were a phenomenon of the 20th century, but according to a story I read recently, they're not. William Smith and Charles Eaton, known fondly as Billy and Charley, were forgers of small artifacts who did their dirtywork between the years of 1845 and 1870. Their story goes something like this.

When rare artifacts began turning up in the many excavations of a growing 19th century London, Billy and Charley saw a way to make a few shillings. With limited skill and (to scholars) a laughable understanding of a certain basic historical accuracy, the pair began casting fake objects — badges, coins, ampullas, heart reliquaries, diptychs, statues, spear heads, scabbards and more — that they sold to the unsuspecting public as genuine. After carving moulds in plaster and casting a selection of objects, they soaked these novelty items in acid as a way to “age” them. In an effort to provide instant provenance, they even added dates on some of them.

Because the forgers referenced so many wrong, mixed-up bits of historical data, scholars began to question some of their more incongruous combinations. Once these medieval “trinkets” began turning up in private collections and in museums, thousands of them had already been sold to unsuspecting collectors. Billy and Charley were eventually arrested, but managed to avoid jail sentences due to lack of evidence.

Referred to today as the Shadwell Shams, these artifacts are worth more today than in the time they were initially produced made. (Improbably, one source has even reported that there are now fakes of the fakes.)

Genuine Shadwell Shams are hard to find today. They're highly collectable, and can fetch hundreds of dollars when they turn up at auction. If indeed they ever do.